With ‘Opening Weekend’ done and dusted, the focus shifts from Belgian cobbles to Tuscan dirt roads as both the men’s and women’s peloton head to the hilltop town of Siena for Strade Bianche. It’s the 16th edition for the men and the eighth outing for the women, with both races – billed as Europe’s most southern Northern Classic – taking place on Saturday 5th March 2022.
Already viewed as one of the most exciting and prestigious races on the men’s calendar, there are growing calls for Strade Bianche to adopt Monument status given its succession of leg-sapping climbs over a demanding gravel surface ahead of what has become an iconic finish in the Piazza del Campo in the scenic hilltop town of Siena.
Previous winners make up a veritable who’s who of seasoned classics stars, with the likes of France’s Julian Alaphilippe and Belgium’s Tiesj Benoot vying to join Poland’s Michal Kwiatkowski and the retired Swiss legend Fabian Cancellara as multiple winners of the event.
While the route is peppered with punchy climbs – not least the double-digit gradient into town in the final kilometre – it’s worth remembering that an outright climber has never won any of the previous 15 editions of the men’s race, with the parcours usually suiting fast finishers who can also produce the watts when going uphill. One thousand three hundred and sixty-two watts, to be precise, if you cite the peak output of Mathieu van der Poel’s deadly attack into Siena last year, where he held over 1,000w for 20 seconds while flying up to the finish with Alaphilippe fading in his wake.
Highlights: Dominant Van der Poel powers to Strade Bianche victory
WHEN IS STRADE BIANCHE AND STRADE BIANCHE DONNE?
After a later position in the calendar in 2020, Strade Bianche returned to its early March slot in 2021 and there’s no change for 2022 with both the men’s and…